Don't Say I Don't Care
by Nella Siphron
Summary: Natsumi has one of the worst weeks of her life and is buckling under the stress. Giroro comes to see if he can help but only hears Natsumi say that no one cares for her. How does he react? This is a one-shot with a bunch of crying. I was up at 3 am writing this. Please don't feel obligated to enjoy or even start reading this but reviews are always appreciated if you do read it.


It was raining. The clouds had taken over the sky and blocked the moon from everything. Natsumi walked home alone without even the moon's comforting glow. Once she finally reached the front steps she froze.

 _Dammit. I thought I could hold it back._ Natsumi clutched her chest. _It feels too tight. Everything's coming down on me. I didn't want anyone to see me cry. DAMN!_ A single tear escaped and rushed down her cheek. _Today was the worst one yet. If those idiots just paid more attention then I wouldn't have to-_

Natsumi's mind flashed back to a failed scheme. Kururu built a ray gun on the roof. Keroro ignored his warning about the power surge and it turned off the anti-barrier, revealing the ray for every human eye in the neighborhood. Aki was fined for causing a panic. Luckily the device looked so harmless under 'professional' inspection that she didn't get arrested. Keroro got off with five straight months of chores with denied payment. Aki took on as many extra hours as the company could allow. Natsumi, being the second in command at home and the eldest child, applied for two part-time jobs she could do after school throughout the week.

 _I don't mind the bookstore so much but, the diner has shady people. Those biker guys in the back-_ Natsumi blocked the thought before she really lost it. She took a deep breath. _Come on. I'm home now. Let's just make it up to my room without delay please._ Natsumi closed the door as quietly as she could. After I removed my wet socks and shoes I looked up to see Keroro already found me.

"Welcome home Miss Natsumi! Fuyuki and I were just thinking that we could all hangout and watch movies after dinner, also what _would_ you like for dinner?" He wore his pink apron. _He's not done with chores if he's still wearing that._

"Make whatever you want today, I don't care." Natsumi mumbled in a deeper, darker tone than she was aiming for. _I probably won't eat tonight._ She tried to inch towards her room but Keroro refused to let her by just yet.

"You shouldn't be so grumpy Natsumi. It's bad for your complexion. We're almost back to normal finances anyway, you should be celebrating." Keroro did a little carefree dance.

"Not right now toad. I just want to get to my room please." Natsumi turned her trembling face away. _Can't he see I'm about to fall apart here?_ She side-stepped him once more with success and the stairway finally in front of her.

"Come on! I've been cleaning and dusting non-stop all week. I think it's time for some fun." Keroro edged closer to whining and complaining. Natsumi didn't look back and just dashed up the stairs. "Fine then! We'll just have fun without you!"

Natsumi slammed the door behind her and slid down to the carpet. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms as tight as she could around them. _Here it comes. I can't stop it anymore._ Tears flooded out into her sleeve. Her coat was thick enough to muffle her heavy sobs. _It's like he didn't want to see. I was obviously about to cry and he just whined like I was ruining everything. I just didn't want to bring anyone else down. Is that so terrible? I bet no one is going to come check on me either. Just wait._

Natsumi sat for what felt like hours sobbing into her arms. She wasn't sure when she stopped but now she felt empty and coarse. Her throat was dry and her face felt swollen. Her chest felt like she had been kicked over and over. She didn't hear anyone approach or even call up to her in all the time she spent crying. _See? I'm just here to clean up the mess and make everyone else happy right?_

She tried to force herself to hear someone call her name but each time there was only silence following. She thought of it so often it started running around her head out of control. There was only one that sounded clearer than the rest but even it sounded fake and ghostly.

"Natsumi." It whispered a few times.

 _I hope I'm not going to lose my mind, but who would care if I did anyway? My bosses probably wouldn't. Those guys at the diner especially wouldn't give a second or even first thought._

"Natsumi."

 _Keroro is probably too busy with his toys and security in the house all day to care about what happens to me._

"Natsumi. Would you look at me?" Natsumi froze when she felt a hand on her head. _Did someone actually come? Keroro must have just whined enough to convince them to talk to me about fixing his problems._ "Are you ok? Can you hear me?"

Natsumi peeked up enough to see Giroro standing beside her. _How did her get in here? I'm in front of the door._ She looked over to see the window wide open. _Oh. I must be so stupid I didn't hear him come in. I was even convinced his voice was in my head. I'm just a useless waste with a pretty body to earn money for everyone else._

"Fuyuki just told me that Keroro was upset after he talked to you." _Yup. Just what I thought._ "It's not like you to just lock yourself in your room all night. What happened? Why are you crying?"

Natsumi almost didn't bother in responding. Her throat felt too dry and crusty to even be able to breathe without hurting, but he gave her the opportunity and once she started she couldn't stop chanting her thoughts in the deep empty voice she had left.

"My boss hates me because I stood up for anther waitress a few days ago and yelled at customers. They were mocking her tired look and refused to tip her because she was holding another customers order, confusing them making them think it was theirs; so they said. Then there was this group of customers today who dressed in leather and sat in the very back. They kept looking at me and whispered to themselves. They stayed almost the whole night and one mentioned about 'bumping into me later'. I was so scared I begged to leave early but my boss said no. Then I took a longer way home hoping that if they did follow I could lose them."

"Natsumi I-" Giroro stared at the carpet. He was silent for a moment allowing Natsumi a chance to go on.

"When I got home I was about to fall apart and Keroro just seemed to ignore it. I asked him to leave me alone and I wanted to be in my room but he just went on about how he was cleaning all week. I started to think he didn't care that I was tired and crying. I sat up here practically bawling for hours and no one showed up to see if I was ok or even alive. No one called up for dinner or anything."

"Natsumi they-" Giroro started but was cut off by Natsumi.

"Then I thought about how some of you guys just don't hang out with me anyway. Dororo is always with Koyuki. Kururu is creepy and doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself."

"Yes b-"

"Tamama just eats all the time while following Keroro."

"Natsumi focus."

"And then you just sit in the back yard all the time and complain when the invasion fails."

"Natsumi stop before you-"

"You always look so stoic and uncaring. Even when we're fighting to help each other."

"Please let me-"

"I used to think that maybe you were just hiding your feelings but maybe you aren't. Maybe I'm just a pretty girl for everyone to fall on when they're down but will step aside faster than lightening when I need help. You probably don't care about me like everyone else."

 ** _'CRUNCH!'_** Natsumi looked to Giroro and felt the first emotion she could manage in hours. Her eyes were widened with surprise when she saw Giroro. His head was tilted down, his features darkened and his eyes pitch black. His right arm was shoved into the wall. Splinters were still falling from the crevice to the floor. Giroro was a statue for long moments before pulling his bleeding fist from the wall.

"I may not care about many things around here." His voice was deep and monstrous. It pulled Natsumi's attention out from the fogs of despair enough to imprint fear into her eyes. "But don't you dare say… that I never cared about you Natsumi."

He turned his head up to show his furrowed brow and clenched jaw. His eyes were pouring as he let go of his wall. He looked destroyed, inside and out.

"I never cared for anything more than you and I'm sorry I could never show it." Giroro snapped his eyes shut and then turned to run only to have his hand caught by Natsumi. Natsumi couldn't think of anything more than how horrible he looked with just a few words. "Let me leave."

The shattered girl stared at the alien for only a moment before she realized she had her own tears rushing down again. Her lips quivered as realization of her actions slammed into her mind.

"What's wrong with me?!" Natsumi cried out. She crawled forward onto her knees to beg. "I never thought those things before. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please don't leave me!"

Giroro looked back at her. His cheeks were soaked and his eyes swollen pink. He wiped away the staining marks on his cheeks and made no attempt to shake Natsumi off when she reached out and hugged him. They sat there in an awkward silence as the burst of emotions died down. Neither one shed more tears but just trembled slightly.

The alien kept looking around wondering what to say and do. He never really declared anything from his heart before, not to anyone but empty space at least. Natsumi's head began to clear more. It seemed that Giroro's reaction slapped her in the face and woke her up.

"I'm a horrible person." Natsumi whispered with her face buried in Giroro's head. "I let everything get to my head and now I've hurt you. I know I can be a bitch sometimes but what I said…"

Giroro listened to each word, already forgiving her.

"How could you care about such a horrible person?" Natsumi's arms went limp and released the frog. She couldn't look at him and just closed her eyes.

"I care about you, because-" Giroro stopped himself as he processed which words to use. Natsumi held her breath. "You're admirable. Even with rough spots I can't stop caring for you. You just had a rough day and you are pretty much enslaved to pay off a bill that isn't yours so I forgive you. Just talk to someone instead of boiling in bad thoughts. Even if you can't really talk yet just ask me and I'll sit by you and wait it out. Deal?"

"Deal." Natsumi whispered after she looked at him and gave a weak smile.

"Also part of that punch was because you didn't call me to walk you home. I mean it, if you don't feel safe I'll be more than glad to escort you." Giroro furrowed his brow once more as he pointed to the hole.

"You're too good of a friend to me." Natsumi sighed feeling lighter.

"And you're too good for me. Now can we please stop being emotional? It's weird." Giroro crossed his arms over his chest and tried to brush everything off.

"Why? You were crying not long ago and that's as emotional as anyone can get." Natsumi teased.

"Tch." Giroro huffed. He couldn't deny it.

"You know there was this one time when I was convinced you were being too good to be a friend to me; as in too good for any one friend to be for another." Natsumi went on as she wiped her face dry. "But then I remembered that I was thinking about you and convinced myself I was wrong."

Giroro froze; worried that she might have found his biggest secret.

"Anyone who makes your friend list is extremely lucky; and not just because they won't get shot in the face." Natsumi's smile strengthened. He reached out and hugged Giroro once more. The alien flinched but didn't stop her; instead he melted at her warm and caring touch. "Thank you so much Giroro."

"Of course." Giroro sighed, relieved that she was in a better condition and that he had more time to accept and explain to her that he was deeply in love with her.


End file.
